Review: Mezan Single Distillery Rum – Guyana 2005 and Panama 2006

We last wrote about Mezan in 2015, when we looked at its XO Jamaica bottling. The rums here are something a bit different. While the Jamaica is a blend of various distilleries’ products, these two rums are sourced from single distilleries (“some founded centuries ago, others no longer in operation”) and, in fact, from single vintages of those distilleries. Mezan has a wide range of these rums in its arsenal, so consider these to be merely representative. These rums are “unblended, unsweetened, uncolored, and only lightly filtered.”

Without further ado, let’s give this duo a spin. Both are 80 proof.

Mezan Single Distillery Rum Guyana 2005 – Sourced from Diamond Distillery and distilled in a wooden pot still originally from Port Mourant. Bottled in 2015, making in 10 years old. The color is very light for a rum of this age, and the nose is bold and fruity, with big notes of banana, green apple, guava, and slightly sour notes of vinegar and overripe fruit — hallmarks of younger pot-distilled rums that are a surprise in a 10 year old product. The body is sweeter with notes of caramel, raisins, and more of that fruit, with just a touch of barrel char on it. The finish has some funk to it, offering a lightly vegetal/weedy note along with lingering hints of tobacco and mushroom. B+ / $50

Mezan Single Distillery Rum Panama 2006 – Column-distilled rum from an unstated producer that grows its own cane. Aged twice in separate sets of ex-bourbon casks, which give it a significant amount of color. No bottling date is noted. This is a classically-styled, rich rum loaded with notes of caramel, creme brulee, vanilla, and a lightly smoky barrel char note. The palate is largely the same, with a clear and lush sweetness that leads to a slightly spicy, slightly coffee-tinged, milk chocolate finish. A classic, older rum that is perfect on its own and will mix beautifully in just about anything. A / $43